Get Ready for Anglican Youth Yeah!
November 2, 2005
Youth Yeah! - That’s the name of our official Year of Youth, from Advent Sunday 2005 (27 November), through to Advent Sunday 2006 (Dec 3). Youth Yeah is a celebration of the youth of the Anglican Church. It is a celebration of ministry to, by, from and for young people. It is also a celebration of being Anglican.
Where did the idea for Youth Yeah! come from?
Youth Yeah! is an initiative from the youth ministry networks of the Anglican Church. It was endorsed at a meeting of the General Synod / Te Hinota Whanui
in 2004 alongside its adoption of the Youth Covenant, which is a commitment to prioritise and support youth ministry throughout the whole church. Now, for the first time, the church is setting aside an entire year to focus on youth and youth ministry. The Youth Yeah! vision is for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia to transform itself into a church with effective, life-changing youth ministry.
So, what do we mean when we say Youth?
The youth of the Anglican Church are children, teenagers, young adults, and young families. Together they make up the majority of the population in Aotearoa-New Zealand and Polynesia, and are therefore a vital part of our mission and ministry.
How do we celebrate Youth Yeah?
A great way to celebrate Youth Yeah! is to actively support youth ministry in your parish, rohe, or local church area. Ask how you can help out with planning and fundraising, get behind local youth events, and give guidance and support to those who are doing youth ministry. If there’s no youth ministry in your area, find some creative ways to start a local ministry to youth. It can be as simple or as colossal as you like! And if you’re short of ideas, get in touch with a local youth minister or coordinator, or log on to the Youth Yeah! website. The website has information about Youth Yeah! and ways you can get involved, like:
- Organise a youth service in your church
- Hold a celebration night and invite the other Tikanga youth living in your town
- Invite a young person to preach on Sunday
- Invite someone to your parish to talk about a youth issue (e.g. vocation)
- Vote a young person on to your vestry
- Mentor a young person
- Provide for youth ministry in your budget
- Let young people run a service
- Sponsor a young person to attend a Youth Yeah! event
- Get a Youth Yeah! tattoo
- Change your name to Youth Yeah! by deed poll
Ok, so the last two ideas are a little silly. But whatever you can do to involve young people more in your church and ministry, by all means do it! If you have bigger and brighter ideas that you’d like to share with the church, feel free to log on to the Youth Yeah! website and post your suggestions.
What kind of events are being planned for Youth Yeah?
Events have already been planned for Youth Yeah! right across the church. From Amorangi and Diocese level events, to Archdeaconry and Parish level, Anglicans are getting ready to celebrate Youth Yeah! in their own way. Log on to the Youth Yeah! website to get the latest news about youth events happening in your area.
You can help others celebrate by sharing news of your plans with the whole church. Log on to the Youth Yeah! website and post information about your event, when and where it is happening.
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